Personalized tourniquet system having dual-purpose cuff

A method for regulating tourniquet cuff pressure based on a personalized tourniquet pressure (PTP), comprising the steps of:

• during a pre-surgical time period:
• estimating a limb occlusion pressure (LOP) by determining a minimum pressure at which penetration of blood past an applied tourniquet cuff is stopped,
• measuring a pulsation characteristic associated with the LOP,
• establishing a PTP by determining a second pressure that is greater than the LOP and that corresponds to a second pulsation characteristic that differs by a predetermined percentage from the pulsation characteristic associated with the LOP;
• and
• during a surgical time period, regulating the cuff pressure to maintain a surgical pulsation characteristic near the second pulsation characteristic.

A method for regulating tourniquet cuff pressure based on a personalized tourniquet pressure (PTP), comprising the steps of:

• applying a surgical tourniquet cuff having a bladder to a patient's limb at a location proximal to a surgical site on the limb;
• during a pre-surgical time period:
• estimating a minimum pressure at which penetration of blood past the applied tourniquet cuff is stopped by analyzing pressure pulsations in the bladder of the cuff that are associated with selected pressures in the bladder, thereby to identify a limb occlusion pressure (LOP) at the location;
• establishing a PTP by determining a second pressure that is greater than the LOP and that corresponds to a second pulsation characteristic that differs by a percentage from the pulsation characteristic associated with the LOP;
• and
• during a surgical time period maintaining pressure in the bladder of the applied tourniquet cuff near the PTP.